Disclaimer: Still not owning them
Because you are the only one
"If you can't stop her…" The words had been muttered; the vocals barely audible by the end of the sentence, lacking their musicality, their strength. Regina could hear them on her head, the way Snow's lips had been bruised, small cuts with dried blood living trails at their sides, dust and mud caking her clothes as well as the rest of them. If you can't stop her.
Snow hadn't finished the sentence, it hadn't been needed though. Everyone, Henry included, had known what Snow had tried to say, her voice trembling, tears threatening to spill. If you can't stop her.
Hook had nodded second, his eyes focused solely on his good hand where the flask of rum still was, catching the light of the settling sun. Regina felt a sour retort growing on the back of her mouth but she hadn't spoken; too tired to even try to put the pirate on the place he came from. If you can't stop her.
Then, it had been David, the former shepherd grabbing his sword as strong as he was able to, veins protruding from his forearm, a small cut still oozing blood from where he had managed to dodge what had been a part of branch back on Camelot's crenels. If you can't stop her.
Regina could still remember how the air had smelt, the odor of fire and wood filling up her nose as she turned, searching for Henry's eyes, searching for something she hadn't known back then what had been; if a confirmation or a negation. The boy had looked away, unable to say something. If you can't stop her.
Thing was, Regina had mused, thing was that she didn't know why, why she should be the one standing in front of Emma, why she should be the one facing the bitter choice of…
If you can't stop her.
She could stop her, she knew that, deep down she knew that if she stared hard enough on Emma's eyes she would be able to see the reflection of the woman she had become friends with, she would see the woman that made her smile even slightly, that had bought her kale salad, that had been there, for her, while she had searched for Robin, that had been there, no matter what. She knew that, she knew that if there was a reason that was the one, the reason of why she would be able to defeat her.
Because, like Emma had said once she knew her.
She looked at her right hand, where her magic was already pouring out of her, Storybrooke shimmering at the end of the open portal that glowed at her side, Camelot's fire on the distance, illuminating the forest on lights of reds and golds.
The forest smelt like fire, her entire body felt as if she was already burning, open wounds bleeding through her cuts as she stood there, unmoving, unwilling to move.
"Attack me!" She heard the scream, an eerie smoke covering the leaves at her feet as she stood there, eyes wide open, trying not to think, not to imagine.
Not imagine the pain the owner of that voice must be suffering, not imagine the way the owner of that same voice had screamed back at her not so long ago, advocating for her happy ending, giving herself to the darkness that had threatened to consumer Regina's body. Not imagine.
She closed her eyes as she felt another wave of magic washing over her, new wounds opening, a chocking sensation making her open her mouth, years of punishment coming back to her the second a figure appeared in front of her as her brain returned back to all those times Cora thought she was unworthy or a nuisance for her plans.
It hurt, it hurt because she knew what she needed to do, it hurt because the mere idea seemed suddenly impossible; like grabbing, clutching her own heart and squeezing it, hard.
When the smoke finally cleared and Emma's figure appeared in front of her, darkness and smugness coming out of her, magic cracking around her figure, her eyes cold, unmoving, she needed to take a breath, the air on her lungs long ago being expulsed by Emma's attacks.
If you can't stop her…
Emma approached her in all her glory, her lips parting slightly, a look of pure hate glowing on her pupils, her hands clenched at her sides. She was the dark one and for a second Regina felt the compulsion of bowing in front of her, showing her the respect a part of her felt she needed to receive.
Emma saw the little flinch she did when she realized what she had been thinking and smirked, her eye lids dropping, her voice coming out of her mouth like syrup. "Attack me"
If you can't stop her…
Regina pursed her lips and straightened her back even more, her own palms falling limply at her sides as she felt Emma's magic growing in front of her, the smell of rotten magic filling up her nose as she did so.
Emma abandoned her pretenses, baring her teeth as she growled, trying to make Regina focus her eyes on her.
"Fight!"
Regina didn't.
She knew what she needed to do, a part of her had accepted the moment Snow, the ever chirping Snow who thought that nothing was lost even when it was, had asked her to do it. She had accepted the fact that if they needed someone to finish the woman in front of her she could only be her. She had accepted it.
And yet she couldn't, she wasn't able to do it, she couldn't wouldn't, be responsible for that, she couldn't make herself do it. Not because of Henry, not because of the morons that she was reluctantly starting to like, not because of the pirate who she definitely still hated. But because of her.
And she knew, because she knew, that Emma knew that as well.
"Damn you woman, fight!" Emma exclaimed, her stance making Regina lick her lips, fear growing for a second inside of her before she managed to take a hold on her emotions. When Emma shoved her hand on her chest, her digits grabbing the organ inside, a feeling of pure hate suddenly filling her, she barely moved.
"I won't" She replied through clenched teeth, her eyes focusing on Emma's. She could see hate, worry, fear. A deep fear that seemed almost as if someone was screaming for help, for a reaction.
And Regina understood what Emma was doing, what the Emma, the real Emma, inside of the dark one was doing.
"Fight" The blonde said and even if her hand was still grabbing Regina's heart Regina saw through the image and saw the threat like it was; a plea.
Fight, fight because they had always been fighting. First against each other then against the rest of the villains that threatened what they had been spending too much life trying to find; their family. And as broken and jarred they both were they were also part of the other lives.
Fight because they didn't know any better, because if one had been spending almost all her life trying to run away the other one had in fact run away only to see that the harshness of the world didn't disappear with age. Only with time. And time was something neither of them possessed.
"I won't" The brunette replied once again, her teeth biting her tongue as she muffled a scream when Emma's digits clenched slightly around her heart more forcefully. "And you won't kill me"
Emma laughed at that, a tired laugh that echoed on Regina's mind for a second.
"Why do think that?"
"Because I know you" Regina replied, looking at Emma, barely registering how tears started to fall down her cheeks. And it was true, she knew her, she believed in her. "Because if you wanted to do that I would already be dead"
They looked at each other, raw power coming out of them. Pure, dark and Regina swallowed thickly as Emma took a step back, her eyes glowing furiously.
"You don't"
"But I do" She insisted earnestly, breathing when Emma's hand disappeared, her body still so close to the younger woman she could feel the soft body heat that was perceptible through their clothes.
And they knew each other, too well.
"If you can't stop her"
Regina knew what she needed to do, what she was supposed to do, a twist of her hand, a simple spell.
But Emma would be gone and with her the uniqueness that she had been showing since the first day she had arrived on Storybrooke, since the day she had decided to stay.
And she could see that reflected back on Emma's eyes, the same fight, one maybe even the dark one's mind wasn't even aware she was having.
"I love you" She thought, a whisper inside her head, a broken one, almost as broken as Snow's plea of killing her daughter on cold blood if there wasn't any other option. If the only thing it could be done was death.
Life, she thought, was made of pure irony.
"If you can't stop her…"